The present invention relates to polyaxial bone screws, and in particular to a polyaxial bone screw assembly in which the bone screw can be maintained in a desired angular orientation prior to locking the bone screw with respect to the rod-receiving member.
Spinal fixation devices are used in orthopedic surgery to align and/or fix a desired relationship between adjacent vertebral bodies. Such devices typically include a spinal fixation element, such as a relatively rigid fixation rod, that is coupled to adjacent vertebrae by attaching the element to various anchoring devices, such as hooks, bolts, wires, or screws. The fixation rods can have a predetermined contour that has been designed according to the properties of the target implantation site, and once installed, the instrument holds the vertebrae in a desired spatial relationship, either until desired healing or spinal fusion has taken place, or for some longer period of time.
Spinal fixation devices can be anchored to specific portions of the vertebra. Since each vertebra varies in shape and size, a variety of anchoring devices have been developed to facilitate engagement of a particular portion of the bone. Pedicle screw assemblies, for example, have a shape and size that is configured to engage pedicle bone. Such screws typically include a bone screw with a threaded shank that is adapted to be threaded into a vertebra, and a rod-receiving element, usually in the form of a U-shaped slot formed in the head. The shank and rod-receiving assembly can be provided as a monoaxial screw, whereby the rod-receiving element is fixed with respect to the shank, or a polyaxial screw, whereby the rod-receiving element has free angular movement with respect to the shank. In use, the shank portion of each screw is threaded into a vertebra, and once properly positioned, a fixation rod is seated into the rod-receiving element of each screw. The rod is then locked in place by tightening a set-screw, plug, or similar type of fastening mechanism into the rod-receiving element.
While current spinal fixation systems have proven effective, it can be difficult to mount rods into the rod-receiving element of various fixation devices. In particular, it can be difficult to align and seat a rod into the rod-receiver of a polyaxial implant since the rod-receiver has polyaxial freedom of movement with respect to the shank. More particularly, the polyaxial freedom of movement of the rod-receiver can allow the receiver to “flop,” thereby requiring the surgeon or an assistant to hold the receiver in the desired position during rod introduction.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a polyaxial bone screw assembly in which the rod-receiving element can be maintained in a desired angular orientation before locking the shank with respect to the receiver member.
The present invention generally provides a polyaxial spinal fixation device (e.g., bone screws, hooks, etc.) having a shank with a spherical head formed on a proximal end thereof, and a receiver member having an axial passage formed therein that is adapted to polyaxially seat the spherical head of the shank. The polyaxial fixation device further includes an engagement member that is adapted to provide sufficient friction between the spherical head and the receiver member to enable the shank to be maintained in a desired angular orientation before locking the spherical head within the receiver member. The engagement member can have a variety of configurations, and in one embodiment the engagement member can be a ring member, such as a snap ring, that is positioned to engage a portion of the spherical head to provide frictional engagement between the head and the receiver member. The ring member can be disposed within a groove formed around an outer surface of the spherical head of the shank, and/or it can be disposed within a groove formed around an inner surface of the receiver member. The groove around the inner surface of the receiver member preferably has a depth that is equal to or greater than a thickness of the ring member to allow the ring member to be completely disposed within the groove. Alternatively, or in addition, the ring member can be adapted to expand or contract to be disposed completely within the groove.
In another embodiment, the engagement member can be a compression cap that is disposed within the receiver member and that has a concave distal surface adapted to seat at least a portion of the spherical head of the shank. The compression cap is preferably capable of mating with the receiver member such that the compression cap is effective to retain the spherical head of the shank in a spherical recess formed in the receiver member. The compression cap can have a variety of configurations, and in one embodiment it can include opposed leaf-spring members that are adapted to contract inward, biasing the cap distally, to frictionally engage the spherical head of the shank. In another embodiment, at least a portion of the compression cap has a diameter that is expandable to frictionally engage the spherical head. By way of non-limiting example, the compression cap can include a plurality of distally-extending finger-like members formed around a distal edge of the compression cap to frictionally engage the spherical head. In yet another embodiment, the compression cap can include at least one longitudinally oriented slot formed therein to allow the compression cap to be contracted to frictionally engage the spherical head.
In other aspects, a polyaxial fixation assembly is provided having a shank with a spherical head formed on a proximal end thereof, and a receiver member having a first, proximal opening adapted to receive a spinal fixation rod and a second, distal opening having a diameter sized to permit passage of the shank therethrough while maintaining the spherical head therein. The receiver member further includes a spherical seat adjacent the second, distal opening to polyaxially seat the spherical head of the shank. The polyaxial fixation assembly also includes means for frictionally engaging the spherical head to maintain the shank in a desired angular orientation such that a force greater than a frictional engagement force is required to change the angular orientation of the threaded shank with respect to the receiver member.
The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
In use, the threaded shank 14 is disposed through the distal opening in the receiver member 18 and the spherical head 16 of the bone screw 12 is positioned within the spherical seat in the receiver member 18. The compression cap 24 is then inserted into the receiver member 18 such that the concave distal surface of the compression cap 24 is disposed around and seats a portion of the spherical head 16 of the bone screw 12. In order to retain the compression cap 24 within the receiver member 18, the receiver member 18 includes opposed sides bores (only one side bore 28a is shown) having a deformable material (not shown) extending there across on an inner surface of the receiver member 18. The side bores 28a allow the material to be deformed inward to extend into and engage opposed detents (only one detent 30a is shown) formed in the compression cap 24. A tool can be used to deform the material into the detents 30a once the compression cap 24 is disposed within the receiver 18. As a result, the compression cap 24 is maintained within the receiver member 18, thereby preventing removal of the bone screw 12 from the receiver member 18. The compression cap 24 is also effective to lock the bone screw 12 in a desired angular orientation with respect to the receiver member 18 once a rod is disposed and locked within the receiver member 18. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of techniques can be used to retain the compression cap 24 within the receiver member 18, and that the present invention is not intended to be limited to use with compression caps 24 having detents for receiving deformable material disposed within the receiver member. By way of non-limiting example, the compression cap 24 can be retained within the receiver 18 using a cross-pin.
Once the bone screw 12 is implanted within bone, and prior to insertion of a rod into the receiver member 18, the receiver member 18 of the prior art assembly is free to rotate and/or be angularly positioned with respect to the bone screw 12. While this advantageously allows alignment of the receiver member 18 with a rod adapted to be disposed therein, such free axial movement of the receiver member 18 can present challenges during surgery as the surgeon is required to hold the receiver member 18 in the desired position during rod introduction.
Accordingly, the present invention provides mechanisms for creating friction between the spherical head 16 and the receiver member 18 to allow the receiver member 18 to be provisionally maintained in a desired angular orientation prior to locking the receiver member 18 with respect to the a polyaxial fixation device. This is particularly advantageous in that it allows a surgeon to position and maintain the receiver member 18 in a desired orientation prior to rod introduction, thereby preventing the receiver member 18 from moving with respect to the bone screw 12 during introduction of a rod. While several different techniques can be used to create the necessary frictional forces to allow the angular orientation between the receiver member 18 and the bone screw 12 to be maintained,
While the snap ring 234 can have a variety of configurations, the snap ring 234 should be adapted to fit within a corresponding groove 236 formed around an inner surface of the receiver member 218. The groove 236 maintains the snap ring 234 at a particular location with respect to the spherical head 216 of the bone screw such that the snap ring 234 is expanded around the head 216. More particularly, the groove 236 should be formed in a proximal portion of the spherical seat 219 formed in the distal end 218b of the receiver member 218. Not only is the groove 236 effective to maintain the position of the snap ring 234 around the spherical head 216, but it is also effective to fully seat the snap ring 234 when the head 216 is locked within the receiver 218. As previously discussed, when a rod is seated within the receiver member 218, the compression cap 224 is forced distally to lock the bone screw 216 with respect to the receiver 218. The groove 236 receives the snap ring 234 to prevent the snap ring 234 from interfering with the locking function of the compression cap 224. Accordingly, the groove 236 preferably has a depth dl that is at least equal to, and more preferably is greater than, a thickness tr of the snap ring 234. Alternatively, or in addition, the snap ring 234 can be adapted to expand or contract to be completely disposed within the groove 236. By way of non-limiting example, the snap ring 234 can be formed from a compressible or deformable material that allows the snap ring 234 to be forced completely into the groove 236.
Still referring to
Once the device 210 is assembled, the frictional forces created by the snap ring 234 that act on the spherical head 216 of the screw 212 will allow the screw 212 to be set at a desired angular orientation with respect to the receiver member 218, as shown in
In another embodiment, shown in
Still referring to
A person skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of other techniques can be used to apply friction to the spherical head of a polyaxial bone screw to allow the bone screw to be maintained in a desired angular orientation before locking the bone screw within the receiver member. By way of non-limiting example, the spherical head of the polyaxial screw can include a coating or surface treatment thereon to hinder movement of the screw head with respect to the receiver member. Alternatively, or in addition, the spherical head, the compression cap, and/or the receiver member can include one or more protrusions formed thereon to frictionally engage the spherical head to allow the orientation of the head to be maintained in a desired configuration. The protrusions can be, for example, formed from a plastic material that is effective to interfere with the free rotational movement of the screw within the receiver.
A person skilled in the art will appreciate that this design is applicable to other polyaxial fixation devices, including other screws, cross-connectors, hooks, bolts, etc., and it is not intended to be limited to use with a polyaxial bone screw. A person skilled in the art will also appreciate further features and advantages of the invention based on the above-described embodiments. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except as indicated by the appended claims. All publications and references cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/157,081, filed on Jan. 16, 2014 entitled “Polyaxial Bone Screw,” which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/657,486 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,663,288), filed on Oct. 22, 2012 entitled “Polyaxial Bone Screw,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/698,612 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,313,516) filed on Feb. 2, 2010 and entitled “Polyaxial Bone Screw,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/381,048 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,682,377) filed on May 1, 2006 and entitled “Polyaxial Bone Screw,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/608,904 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,087,057) filed on Jun. 27, 2003 and entitled “Polyaxial Bone Screw,” which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20160000471 A1 | Jan 2016 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 14157081 | Jan 2014 | US |
Child | 14848417 | US | |
Parent | 13657486 | Oct 2012 | US |
Child | 14157081 | US | |
Parent | 12698612 | Feb 2010 | US |
Child | 13657486 | US | |
Parent | 11381048 | May 2006 | US |
Child | 12698612 | US | |
Parent | 10608904 | Jun 2003 | US |
Child | 11381048 | US |